“True faith means holding nothing back. It means putting every hope in God’s fidelity to His Promises. -Fancis Chan” (Reader’s Digest) Starting in around 30CE, Christianity spread throughout the ancient Roman Empire. As the religion grew, Christianity became one of the most prominent religions in the Roman Empire. The more Christianity spread, the more fear the Romans had for the religion. The spread of Christianity caused the Romans to take action with violence, but the rapid spread and strong commitment were something the Romans could not beat.
To start, looking at the apparent differences between Christianity and Roman ideology, it is understandable that Christianity intrigued the common people and became popular. Christian ideology is a little, with a strong
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As a man who used to be a Jesus hater, not a follower, Paul spent most of his life following Christianity. “He spent the next 30 years traveling the eastern Mediterranean world, spreading Jesus’s teachings” (Doc F). The dedication of Paul’s teaching spread all over the Roman Empire. Traveling from Siden to Myra, all the way to Rome, Paul’s dedication greatly affected the way Christianity spread. Other early Christians also showed commitment and loyalty, even if their life was at stake. “If they confess to it…while threatening punishment. If they persist, I order them to be led away [to execute]” (Doc G). Several early Christian followers were rounded up for a trial and were forced to admit they weren’t Christian. The punishment was to be executed, but the followers stayed as Christians even though some died and this demonstrates how the commitment of early followers kept Christianity alive and spreading. To conclude, the early Christian’s dedication and loyalty to the religion played a large part in how Christianity was able to spread throughout ancient
Christianity Spreads through the West The Roman Republic prospered and survived through the guidance of its Senate. Rome’s government was considered to have “perfected the most successful of all forms of ancient government” (Dutton 138). Rome went on to dominate central Italy, eventually conquering all of Italy, the Western Mediterranean, and the ancient world.
Christianity, it’s beginning, practices, beliefs, or definition, though interesting remain challenging for any one individual to comprehend. Some of the methods individuals utilize to foster Christianity include its creation, intervention, and development. Moreover, the development of Christianity by individuals which has continued for centuries further complicate matters. John Fea’s book, “Was America founded as a Christian Nation?: A Historical Introduction” introduces the complexities surrounding Christianity as it relates to the History of America.
Christianity is a very important religion that is practiced by almost a third of the world’s population today. So why was this religion able to grow so much during ancient times? Inspired by Jesus Christ over two thousand years ago, Christianity faced several barriers along its road to prevalence in the world. During his lifetime, Jesus preached the Word of God until Roman officials felt threatened and eventually crucified him. After his death, however, Jesus’ apostles kept up his legacy and continued to preach God’s Word.
It did, however, sound very appealing to those in Rome, and in the end did play a large role in how Pax Romana was founded. “I am obliged both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.” (The Bible Romans 1) It was an appealing religion and honestly, that is why it was so appealing to join the Roman Empire. Christianity helped to expand the empire and hold it together.
In the 1st century, Christianity spread throughout Rome causing differing views on the religion. At first Christianity was disapproved of by the upper class, then in later years it was embraced. The spread of Christianity throughout Rome eventually caused Rome to split and lead to the fall of the Roman empire. Christianity challenged the government, believing in a higher power then the Emperor. With this mindset, the government feared for it’s future in Rome and it was disapproved of, much like the Tang Emperor Wu in document 6, who stated that it will cause disorder in society.
Even though Christians were persecuted on and off during the Roman Empire, Christianity flourished. In the early Roman Empire, when Claudius, Nero, Domitian, and Trajan were emperors, Christianity was banned and Christians were persecuted. Nevertheless, Christians found ways to spread Christianity, and many people converted. As trials occurred and the Empire lost good leaders, the people took security in Christianity and other religions. Christianity grew during the Roman Empire because Constantine helped create the Edict of Milan, Constantine had imperial favor toward The Church, and there was trade routes to spread Christianity to different areas.
Another major point Hurtado argues is how Christianity’s distinct faith was used by Roman culture to silence and stop the spread of Christianity. He describes the Roman official Pliny’s
Christianity adopted effectively throughout the ages. Early missionaries were able to developed their ideas of teaching by reinterpreted early Greek and Roman philosophy from pagan gods, Augustine of Hippo influence, and fashioning up practices that were meaningful to people. Christian priests traveled all over Europe to spread their message. Priests were able to convert several barbarian kings by making God is more powerful than the pagan gods they have worshipped.
His Apostles were individuals known as; Paul, Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John. The illustrated map, shows Paul the Apostle traveling and hearing stories of Jesus criticizing those who truly believed in him however, it was until Paul met Jesus resurrected that changed his life. He then traveled throughout the eastern Mediterranean world for the next thirty years “spreading Jesus’s teachings” (Doc F). This parable shows that the spread of the Gospel could possibly change the minds of people who don’t believe until you show them otherwise. In the Roman Empire, there was a difference in beliefs of how to rule.
The views on Christianity throughout Rome changed immensely from the early years of the empire through the fourth century. For a while, Christians were looked at as a threat to many because of their belief in monotheism. Nero and his followers persecuted and punished the lower class and women who followed Christianity as well as use them as political scapegoats. As time went on, the tolerance for Christianity in Rome grew and Christianity gained acceptance. By the fourth century, Christianity was the official religion in Rome.
Page 1 of 2 Throughout this week we discussed a wide range of different regions that were impacted by Christianity along with the Empires and countries that rose and fell from the religion. This is all remarkably interesting to me as I did not expect the impacts of Christianity to be as large as they did to even Empires. Take for example, the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire was one of the world's most dominant superpowers at the time. This lasted all the way until the initial rising of Christianity.
During the early Pax Romana, Christianity, emerged and it spread rapidly in the Roman Empire. The founder of Christianity was Jesus who used parables with moral lessons to communicate his ideas. Jesus emphasized mercy, sympathy for the poor and helpless, morality, forgiveness, and service to others. Christianity eventually became the official religion of Rome because of its unifying force and the fact that it appealed to all classes in society. The humble, poor and oppressed found comfort in his message of love, equality, human dignity, and promise for a better life.
Christianity is arguably one of the the most influential and important aspects that originated in western civilization. The religion started out as a small sect of Judaism and a man named Jesus spreading his word with a few followers. For centuries, Christians in Rome endured persecution and secret worship. With the appeal of eternal salvation and the hierarchy of the church, Christianity gradually spread, began to rise, and eventually became the prominent religion in Rome. Today, Christianity is the most widely practiced religion in the world.
Later on in the Roman Empire, christianity became a large role of both government and life in Rome. The imperial system allowed for a large spread of the religion, eventually becoming the state religion. Now, the spread of christianity is an effect of the imperial system. Without the imperial system allowing organization and spreading of Roman customs, christianity may not have been as popular. One reason it became so popular is because of how user-friendly it was.
The existence of Christianity enumerates almost 20 centuries and for this period it made a long way in development and expansion. The Christianity was born in Palestine in the 1st century AD and spread to various corners of the world. Kennedy, P. (2011). Christianity : An Introduction. London: I.B.